Meshuggah

Formed in Umeå, in northern Sweden, in 1987, Meshuggah has over the years established itself as one of the most distinctive bands in extreme metal, at the crossroads of progressive metal, groove metal and technical death metal. Around Jens Kidman, Fredrik Thordendal and Tomas Haake, later joined by Mårten Hagström and then Dick Lövgren, the quintet built a language based on cyclical riffs, rhythmic shifts, shifting tempos and a tightly knit ensemble playing. After their first album, Contradictions Collapse, in 1991, Meshuggah refined its formula with Destroy Erase Improve in 1995, then further hardened its approach on Chaosphere in 1998. The albums Nothing in 2002, Catch Thirtythree in 2005, obZen in 2008, Koloss in 2012, The Violent Sleep of Reason in 2016, and Immutable in 2022 show different evolutions of this writing, between heaviness, metric precision and repetitive tension. Meshuggah has also toured on major international stages and festivals, while maintaining a distinct identity, often associated with the rise of djent without being limited to it. At Meshuggah, Jens Kidman’s abrasive voice, the angular guitars and Tomas Haake’s drums remain at the center of a mechanical, dense and constantly moving aesthetic.